For a Lifetime (Timeless)
In Meyer’s inspirational time-slip story, we meet twenty-four-year-old twins, Grace and Hope Eaton, who are time-crossers living in Salem in 1692. Their consciousness leaps centuries when they fall asleep―and wake in 1912. When they sleep in 1912, they are awake in 1692. Life is becoming more dangerous for the sisters, who cook and serve tables in their father’s ordinary. Accused witches await interrogation in the upper rooms, and given their foreknowledge of events, the sisters offer comfort as and when they can. The mundanity of life in Salem is frustrating for Hope, but she spreads her wings in 1912, and learns to fly a Blériot aeroplane. She lives life to the fullest and revels in her freedom. Grace, more subdued and as graceful as her name, is a journalist in 1912, and writes about her sister’s exploits for the New York Globe. On their 25th birthday they must decide which of their paths to follow, and for both women it has become an increasingly easy choice. But hopes and dreams sometimes turn out to be just that. In Salem, Grace loves family friend, Isaac. In 1912, Hope loves flying instructor, Luc. As the horrifying events of history come to a head, their decision becomes all the more critical, even as love becomes all the more complex.
The premise for this engaging time-slip novel might seem a little far-fetched to some readers, but Meyer’s firm grasp of both timeframes moves the plot seamlessly from one century to the other with plenty of action, and events are told in a realistic and believable way. Meyer is mindful that her inspirational themes do not overwhelm the narrative, even as her protagonists must trust that they are on the road God intended.
